How did we get here? A timeline of James Comey's FBI controversies

Jessica Estepa , USA TODAY , WUSA3:13 PM. EDT May 10, 2017

Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, James Comey testifies in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee during an oversight hearing on the FBI on Capitol Hill May 3, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Eric Thayer/Getty Images) (Photo: Eric Thayer, 2017 Getty Images)

James Comey is only the second director in the FBI's storied history to be fired.

In the year leading up to Comey's abrupt firing on Tuesday, he was at the center of two controversial investigations: the probe into Hillary Clinton's emails, and the ongoing investigation into whether Trump campaign officials colluded with Russia during the election.

So how did we get here? Let's take a look back at the key moments of leading up to Comey's recent FBI controversies.

June 2013

President Obama appointed Comey as the seventh director of the FBI. His career included time in the private sector as well as a tenure as deputy attorney general under President George. W. Bush. Succeeding former FBI Director Robert Mueller, Comey was confirmed by the Senate for a full 10-year-term.

"I must be out of my mind to be following Bob Mueller,"’ he said at the time. "I don't know if I can fill those shoes, but I know that, however I do, I will be standing truly on the shoulders of a giant."

Appearing during a congressional oversight hearing, Comey once again defended his recommendation not to charge Clinton.

"You can call us wrong, but don’t call us weasels. We are not weasels," Comey said. "Whether or not you agree with the result, this was done the way you want it to be done."

Oct. 28, 2016

Comey announced that new emails had been discovered on the laptop of former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner, who was married to top Clinton aide Huma Abedin, and that messages may be related to the Clinton probe. His announcement came 11 days before Election Day

"It makes me mildly nauseous that we would have had an impact on the election," Comey told the Senate Judiciary Committee.

During the hearing, Comey said "hundreds and thousands" of emails had ended up on Weiner's laptop because of Clinton aide Huma Abedin. He said Abedin made "regular practice" of forwarding emails to her husband, Weiner.